The Gate
by asdfasdfg
Summary: -Matrix AU- "The answer is out there. It’s looking for you… and if you want it to, it will find you. But when it does, will you be ready for the Truth?"
1. Prologue

**The Gate**

Thank you **Misaki-yo** for beta-reading!

**00/Prologue**

* * *

The sky was darkening against the silhouette of a hotel on the quiet streets of Central City. Surveying the hotel with great interest was a man clad in a blue military uniform; he was wringing his hands behind his back, walking back and forth in a strange manner, as if expecting someone—or something. A lone car drove down the street and parked in front of the building. The screech of the wheels against pavement was disturbing against the silence of the night.

A tall and slim figure—a woman dressed in a black dress—climbed slowly but gracefully out of the passenger seat of the car and walked slowly up to the officer.

"Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer…"

The man straightened up to acknowledge the approaching figures clad in black approached him. "Lust. Envy. And Gluttony."

Lust gazed at the Lieutenant Colonel. "You were given specific orders."

Archer laughed in an attempt to hide his anxiety. "I sent five of my men. They should be able to handle one little girl."

"You don't get it, do you?" Envy grinned at Archer as Lust and Gluttony began to approach the Hotel. "Your men are already dead."

* * *

A woman in black put down the phone just as the door to the hotel room was barged open. "Freeze!"

With her back facing the policemen, the masked woman slowly raised her arms into the air. They approached her as the leader, clutching a pair of handcuffs, tentatively moved forward. _She doesn't look too dangerous… _The man's thoughts were quickly proven wrong when she spun around, gun in hand.

Five shots sounded throughout the hotel room.

The phone rang, and the woman picked it up. "Taisa?" She turned over a corpse with her foot, trying to rid herself from the staring of the dead eyes. Her ever-stoic face hid her disgust.

"Hawkeye. You must go. They cut the hard line. Do you know where the nearest line is?"

"Yes. Wells and Lake."

"You can make it. You _will_ make it."

"I will, Taisa."

Upon entering the room, the three Agents only found five bodies and an open window. Envy muttered something inaudible as Lust sighed. "Pathetic, these humans are… Gluttony, clean up the mess here. Envy, follow her. I will be following from afar..."

* * *

Riza's footsteps rang as she sped through the alleys of Central City. "_Wells and Lake… I can make it there_." She dashed around a corner and halted after sighting a familiar green haired Agent. "Hello Trinity," Envy smirked smugly as he approached her slowly. "A little slow today, aren't you?"

Without a reply or a moment of hesitation, Riza ran straight towards Envy, taking him by surprise. Using Envy's head as leverage to propel herself upwards with one hand, she landed gracefully on top of the nearest building. Below her, Envy held his head in disbelief as he chased her down the alleyway in vain, his curses long lost as he met a dead end.

"There!" More voices came from below, this time from Archer and a new backup group of cops. "Fire!" Riza ran further –her mask was slipping out of place— and found a street separating her from the next building. She paused, looked down, and leaped forward. With precise aiming she crashed through the glass windows of the seventh story in the neighboring building and rolled over the glass-littered carpet to break her fall.

"Th—That's impossible!" The policemen on the street below were dumbfounded. Archer glared at his men. "Quiet! Go after her, now!" He wouldn't risk his rank—and life— just because he was incapable of capturing one little girl…

* * *

"_Just a few more buildings ahead…"_She stood up, and allowed her legs adjust to the fall she just made. She took a step forward—and was startled to hear two footsteps instead of just one. She turned around to see Envy standing several feet behind her. He was still smirking. "Tsk tsk… still too slow…"

Hawkeye grabbed the gun from her coat and shot at Envy, who was ready this time. The bullets merely caused a disturbance on a hair or two of his head from his abrupt side step to avoid the flying pieces of lead. Riza watched futilely as her bullets were easily dodged and her ammo was being drained. _Three bullets left… two bullets left… _Riza stopped when she was narrowed down to her last bullet.

"Are you done wasting bullets now? Or if I'm guessing correctly… you're out of ammo, aren't you?" Riza found herself inching backwards, away from the window…

Just then the room began to shake. Through the deafening noise of the crumbling building she heard Envy's voice yelling but was unable to distinguish what he was saying. A hole in the wall opposite of the window appeared. Through it she could see Gluttony, and behind him the outside of the opposite side of the building was visible. The walls that should have been in the way had been dissolved. Gluttony was eating through the foundation!

The wall with the window Riza had jumped through began to cave in. Everything was crumbling, and Riza had the unnerving feeling that the building was about to fall… Riza saw that Envy was surprised as well; with Envy distracted, Riza quickly took the opportunity to find a way to escape the collapsing building. It would be risky, but she would take that risk. She ran straight for the window she had came in through and jumped out the seventh floor, just as the building collapsed completely…

Hawkeye landed on the street several meters away. She was safe for now; the collapsed building had trapped two of the agents. A phone booth several yards to the right suddenly began to ring, and she ran towards it. "_Almost… there…!_"

As Riza ran towards the phone, several things happened at once. Long black blades shot forward from the darkness of a shrouded alleyway—_I won't make it in time— _a truck suddenly screeched through the street— _I have to try— _it was driving straight towards the phone booth—

A large explosion shook Central City that night.

The door to the crashed truck opened. Archer climbed out of the truck and inspected the wreck. Behind him, Gluttony ate his way out of the rubble that he had imprisoned himself in, followed by a bleeding and furious Envy.

Archer frowned. He had failed— the only thing that was left of the wreck was an empty phone booth barraged with holes and shattered glass.

* * *

"Gluttony, you… I was in that building too!" Envy shouted angrily. "Damn, I've died twice today…" He wiped off blood from the side of his mouth… Damn that woman… for making him have to see _his own__blood_…

Lust walked towards the Lieutenant Colonel, who bowed his head with feigned apology. Angering the secret agents of the government could result in his death, or worse…

"Archer, you failed your mission." The voice let out no hint of emotion, and Archer found himself once again wondering if Lust had any feelings at all…

"I'm sorry, this won't happen again—"

"It doesn't matter." Lust smiled, but it revealed nothing. "Your men have already seen too much." Her empty smile widened. "Gluttony…"

Gluttony walked towards the group of policemen. The men tried to escape, only to discover that they were cornered by Envy, who was looking particularly murderous. Gluttony licked his lips.

"Can I eat them…?"

Archer said nothing but watched as his men were consumed. He did not fear a similar fate yet, however…

"As for you, we will leave you alive—for now. You may be of some use to us in the future. However… don't expect to get away with another mistake next time." Lust turned to Envy. "It's alright for now. We still have what we needed."

Envy straightened up, glad to be wiping off someone else's blood from his hands. "Yeah," he shrugged, and brushed his hands against his skirt. Envy kicked the last body over to Gluttony, who proceeded to happily devour the corpse. "The informant is real."

"Then we have confirmed who their next target is…"

"And his name...?" Archer asked.

"The name is Edward Elric."

"We'll need a search running..." began Archer, but he was interrupted. Envy grinned with anticipation.

"It has already begun."

_To be continued…_


	2. Follow the Devil to his Nest

**The Gate **

Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate your time and suggestions. And thanks to **misaki yo** for being my beta reader again!

**1.02/Follow the Devil to his Nest**

* * *

"_Al!" Footsteps pounded on nothingness as a small nine old child ran amidst the dark. Everything was pitch black—even the floor, if one existed at all. "Al!" Other than his own panting, Edward could not hear a single sound. There was nothing—only a darkness that made Edward feel like he was blind. He kept blinking his eyes as if opening them another time would make the light return to him… "Alphonse!" The panic in his voice was absorbed into the dark emptiness as he ran forwards…_

_ "Where are you!" Edward finally stopped, gasping for breath, sweat mingling with tears that threatened to fall. "I know you're here! Please! Answer me! Alphonse!" Edward cried out desperately into the darkness…_

_ Suddenly, Edward heard a noise behind him. What was that creaking noise? It was growing louder… He turned around, and saw—_

Edward's eyes snapped open, and he was still panting as if he had been running a great distance. _Always that same damned dream… _Edward blinked rapidly, as if his eyes were unfamiliar to the light. He was relieved to be out of that hellish abyss; to see again, to hear sounds other than _those things_… The eighteen year old waited for himself to regain his breath. For a while he sat, and listened to his heartbeat race against the spatter of raindrops that pounded on the window. The thin curtains allowed a meager square of bluish light to creep into the room; it illuminated the contents of Edward's otherwise pitch-black room. Lightning flashed for a split moment, and the light revealed a few books and notes that were littered over a single wooden table as well as stack of old newspapers strewn over the floor. Layers of dust accumulated over Edward's one and only photograph of his family, which was placed carefully in the corner of his desk. An old suitcase stood in the corner of the room. Other than that, the small room was dreadfully bare… With his untied hair spilling messily over his shoulders Edward slowly sat up in his bed, hugging his knees…

_ Al… it hurts…_

_ Al…_

* * *

It was quiet.

The run down, one room apartment that Edward Elric lived in was always quiet. There was no one to talk to, and no one he particularly wanted to talk to, either. He was always in his room, reading, studying the forbidden art of alchemy, and so Edward was always painfully aware of his growing sense of emptiness …

Yet when he sleeps, it was never quiet. He would be haunted by nightmares—or were they memories?

Frightening screams… he would hear them, occasionally to the point that they seemed so real, that he still heard them after he woke…

Sometimes, when his mind allowed him to, Edward would remember how life was, nine years ago, before _that night._ But as much as he would have liked to forget some other aspects of his life, his conscious never gave him the relief of doing so…

"_Al… let's do it._

_ Let's revive Mother with alchemy…"_

Those simple words were said for the innocent desires of seeing his mother smile one last time. And those words led Edward and his younger brother Alphonse to the path of their own destruction. As a result of their failed human transmutation, Edward lost his right arm and left leg. And as for Alphonse, he simply... dissapeared. Ever since thennine years after, Edward had been searching for a way to bring him back...

That night when he transmuted his mother, he saw things. Things that became a blur almost immediately afterwards, like a memory that was forcefully clawed away from his mind; yet it was a memory that still existed, nonetheless. The mere recollection of those dreams made everything else seem so unreal, so… nonexistent. Like a dream.

_ Am I the only one who feels that everything is more real when I'm asleep? _

Edward shifted his position on the bed. When he decided that he was ready to crawl out of bed, Edward uncurled from his fetal position and slowly relaxed. As he did so, something glinted—the metal shone as the faint lit hit it. As a consequence of his failed transmutations, Edward's left leg and right arm were lost and replaced with automail—limbs created from metal that could move and work. Edward winced at the sight of his automail limbs—they were something that he had grown to fear and depend on; every time he saw those limbs, he would remember the mistake he had made that cost him and his brother. But if he had the chance, he would rather have given up his whole body if it would have saved Alphonse from disappearing…

Edward glanced out the window on his right. _It's raining again. _Edward sighed, trying desperately to grasp any bits and pieces of his the dream was becoming a blur and he could no longer recollect most of what had happened or what he had seen… Yet the fear and panic he felt remained…

With a raised eyebrow, Edward spotted the most recent newspaper, half shoved through his doorway. _I've already canceled my newspaper subscription a month, yet they keep coming anyway…_ Edward noted with annoyance. He'd most likely get a bill for the papers at the end of the month again.

Edward climbed out of bed, his heavy metal limbs scraping across the floor, and pulled the paper out from beneath the doorway. He skimmed quickly over the newspaper, his eyes catching hold of several headlines for a brief moment—"_CITIZEN CAUGHT AND TRIED FOR ILLEGALLY USING ALCHEMY—LOST CHILD: SIX YEARS OLD, GREEN EYES, BROWN HAIR—EXPLOSION AT DAYLIGHTS HOTEL"—_ before tossing the paper carelessly behind him. It landed silently into an accumulating pile of trash in the middle of the floor. Edward scoffed, disappointed by the paper as usual. Edward had arrived in Central three months ago in response to a letter, and that short period time was enough for Edward to realize that Central City's newspapers contained close to no new information. _As if no one else in Central didn't feel that explosion last night…_

The headline topics were so dull and repetitive—almost every other day there was always a topic about another missing person—and there was always, Edward noted, a small section listing a few names of those executed by the government, many of those being alchemy users. Alchemy, a forbidden art by the government, was a big no-no that usually resulted in a trial and execution. The only ones who could use Alchemy legally were the National State Alchemists, who were the human weapons and dogs of the military.

An old and simple clock hung on Edward's wall. It ticked silently—_11:00PM_—signaling the near end of another meaningless day gone by. A knock sounded outside Edward's apartment door, startling him. Eyes widening in surprise, Edward stood up hastily—time to hide all evidence of anything alchemy related. Fumbling a bit, he grabbed the few books and notes from the tabletop and, using his alchemy, concealed them within the walls of his apartment room. If he was caught hoarding fifty books on the illegal subject of alchemy, he'd be looking forward to a painful death. Edward then made sure nothing else suspicious remained—this was an easy job, as his room was, other than his previously occupied table and the pile of newspapers lying on the floor, already bare. His suitcase, the only thing Edward was able to salvage from his escape nine years ago, remained silently in a corner of the room. Looking at it brought Edward memories of how back in Rizenbool nine years ago, his house was burned to ashes to dispose of evidence that alchemy had been attempted in the basement. The suitcase was the only thing Edward was able to salvage and so it came to carry all the few belongings that Edward had collected throughout his journey of nine years, from his escape to Dublith and the first scraps of his artificial limbs… That journey had brought him to Central.

Edward grabbed a red coat that draped carelessly over his suitcase and pulled it over his black tank top. He reached for the door and noticed the metallic glint of his right hand as he reached for the doorknob; he sighed, and reached inside his coat pocket to retrieve a pair of plain white gloves, to make sure that his automail was concealed.

Satisfied that his room was clear of any suspicious evidence at last, Edward finally opened the door, hoping that whoever had been on the other side would not be overly irritated with waiting. Upon opening it, Edward was surprised to find no one there; had they been so impatient that they left? Looking down, Edward noticed a small rectangular package laying on the doormat.

_ Strange…_ Edward picked up the object—it was somewhat heavy—and looked outside his door warily. The door closed with a click. Leaning against the locked door, Edward opened the package.

A small mechanical device dropped into Edward's gloved hands. A look of utter disbelief and amazement crossed the teenager's face, who was for the first time in a long while, bewildered by something he had never seen or read about. Eyes sparkling with amazement and wary suspicion, Edward studied the device carefully. _What is this thing? I've never seen anything like this… _

The "thing" was small; it fit into Edward's hand perfectly. It was metallic black in color and had a rectangular shape. Edward had never known that any similar technology existed. The closest thing that Edward could relate the object to was automail—he glanced at his automail arm, concealed underneath his cloak. Like Alchemy, automail was forbidden to the public. The society called for a perfect master race, in which all disabled people were labeled as a glitch that should be erased… _That means the military would be giving me two executions…_Edward smiled grimly. It took his mentor quite a while to find someone who was willing to risk their lives to create automail limbs for Edward. Although his current automail limbs was slowly becoming too small for him and was poorly made—he could barely move his fingers and any sort of movement was stiff and slow— he could not complain. He remembered hobbling around on crutches and being confined to one area for months at a time without limbs—an experience he would rather not think about. Edward's attention returned to the device.

"_I wonder how this thing works."_ Edward flipped the metal object over._ "What's this blank screen here? It looks as if this thing here is capable of displaying something—__"_Edward's thoughts were interrupted when the small screen on the device flashed. The small _beep_ that followed almost felt like an explosion compared to the silence that hung in the air for the whole day. Edward jumped before regaining his composure. Something flickered on the small black screen. Looking closely, Edward discovered that there were words forming…

_ /**Wake up, Fullmetal.**/_

Edward stared. "Fullmetal" was his codename, the one he used when dealing with those who illegally paid him to use alchemy.

_ /**Or should I say—Edward Elric?**/_

He was dumbfounded. Who knew both his codename and his real name? Edward furrowed his brow in contemplation.

_ Who?_

Edward didn't even get to finish thinking when the machine beeped again.

/**_Who we are is not important at this moment._**/

_ But why_—_?  
_

_/**Do you want to know what's beyond the Gate?**/_

Edward stared. _The Gate…_This could be it—the thing he'd been searching for all this time—

/**_Do you ever get the feeling that your dreams feel more real than when you are not asleep?_**/

Edward's hands shook and his eyes widened with surprise. Segments of his dreams flashed before his unseeing eyes—he stared downwards, oblivious to his whitening knuckles as his grip on the device tightened…

_ This person… he feels the same as me… Does that mean that I'm not alone…?_

_/**I bet you're really confused right now, aren't you?**/_

Another beep interrupted Edward from his thoughts.

_ /**In that case, you're not alone. And by the way…**/_

/_**Knock knock, Ed…**/_

Edward jumped as someone knocked on his door.

_/**And if you really want to know what's going on, follow the devil to his nest**_/

The screen turned blank.

"What the…" Was this thing just playing with his mind? Edward stared at the miniature phone once again before the knock at his door sounded again, this time with more urgency. Hastily Edward shoved the phone into the pocket of his red coat and rushed to the door. Suddenly nervous, Edward was relieved to find actual people at his door rather than another package laying on his doorstep.

"Yeah?" Edward asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could.

Three people stood in front of his door. The first man was large; almost resembling an ox, and his small narrow eyes gave Edward the impression that he was always squinting at something. There was a short haired woman standing behind him, who was casually observing Edward's room. Lounging in the hallway was a third man with dark greenish spiky hair, who looked like he was too preoccupied with something in his hands to bother looking at Edward. The three wore black leather, sunglasses, and other shiny and potentially dangerous accessories. The squinty-eyed man spoke up. "I need you to fix it again."

Edward recognized these people as those who occasionally paid him to use alchemy. He was barely making a living out of selling his skills, but it was enough for him to have a place to sleep in.

Edward nodded. "Alright… you got the money?"

"Yeah." The burly man handed over several bills, which Edward took and inspected for a few moments. "That'll do," he muttered as he pocketed the money. "Broke your precious sledgehammer again, did you?"

"I've been with it for a long time." The man replied simply. He unhooked the weapon from a strap of leather hanging across his back and handed it over to Edward. "It's… irreplaceable."

Edward examined it carefully, running his fingers over the intricate designs carved onto its side. His sharp eyes located the crack that splintered the steel, branching off into smaller lines like ripples disturbing the surface of a still pond.

"Be right back," Edward muttered, eyes never wandering off from the blade. He strolled over to the middle of his room—kicking aside the pile of newspapers along the way— and set the sledgehammer on the table. Edward closed his eyes in concentration, and clapped his hands together—human flesh and metal—and brought them downwards simultaneously.

A pillar of blue light immediately engulfed the sledgehammer, and it illuminated the dull brown walls of the room. For a moment, it seemed that everything the light touched glowed. When the brief moment disappeared, everything seemed so dull, so lifeless…

"There, done." Satisfied, Edward handed the ax back to its owner, who immediately proceeded to study it, making sure it was perfectly fine…

"Roa! Are you done staring at your toy yet? The party's started twenty minutes ago…" The short haired girl pushed forwards and stepped cautiously into Edward's small room. She looked Edward up and down and a crooked smile formed on her lips as she muttered to herself. "Hmmm… A bit too short for my taste, but…" Edward visibly twitched.

"Hey… want to come with us? …It's okay if he comes with us tonight, right? Dolchet?" Martel bent downwards to study Edward's face; tired, sleepless eyes stared back at her, surrounded by pale skin and a frown that seemed almost permanent—"He looks like he needs to get out more." The girl turned around and nudged Dolchet with her elbow to gain his attention. "Oi, you listening?" The man stared at Edward for a moment before shrugging, "Whatever. You always decide everything anyway, Martel."

As Edward opened his mouth to refuse the offer, his attention was suddenly caught by a sudden movement. Dolchet retrieved a cigarette box from his front pocket and extracted a cigarette. His sharp eyes caught the words on the side of the box and his eyes widened.

_ The Devil's Nest…?_

"Oh yeah, that's where we're going. It's a bar, not too far from here," Martel smiled fondly. Edward didn't realize he spoken out loud, but that didn't matter though… the message that he received ran through his head: _follow the devil to his nest_…

Edward cracked a smile to hide his bewilderment. "I'll go."

* * *

Always the antisocial one, Edward wasn't exactly comfortable surrounded by a mass of people he didn't know and didn't want to know either. Secluding himself for the past nine years to research a way to bring back Alphonse took a toll on his social skills. Edward had become a hermit. One without a beard, but a hermit nonetheless.

"_I came here following that damned message… if whoever that was is just making a joke out of me…_" Edward cracked his metal knuckles just thinking about what he'd do. That was, _if_ he ever found out who it was. He sighed and slumped over, just barely managing to escape being stepped on by another mob of people…"_If Al was here… I wouldn't have had to do all this researching about Human Transmutation… I wouldn't be stuck here in this annoying, smelly, and deafening crowd, and my eyes would be saved from being blinded by flashing lights… What did I come here for anyway?" _The area stank of beer and strange odors that Edward did not want to know about, and he was feeling very tempted to leave…

Just as he was about ready to throw up on the nearest unfortunate person, a quick tap on his shoulder caused Edward to turn around. His weariness and unease suddenly felt lifted as he faced a blond woman dressed in black.

"Good evening, Fullmetal." Her voice was quiet, but it demanded attention and seemed to flow over the booming music…

Edward would have been shocked at the event of someone random knowing his code name, but after that incident with the strange device, he wouldn't have been surprised if he discovered that the bar was actually a zoo and that the people in it were the animals on display… "Er… and you are…?"

"It's 'Trinity'," the woman said with such simplicity, that it was as if her name mattered nothing.

Edward's eyes widened. "Ah. Right. _The _Trinity? The one that hacked the military documents three months ago?" he asked incredulously.

The woman's face held a glimpse of a smile when she replied, "That was some time ago… but yes, that was me."

Edward paused to think. Sure, this "Trinity" here was someone that he had heard of… She was the savior of those unrightfully censored by the government, and was rumored to have successfully found her way into the military's most secretive documents numerous times…

"Is there anything wrong?" Trinity asked, raising an eyebrow but otherwise maintaining a stoic expression.

"Well, no. It's just that I thought you'd be, well, a guy… You know, how lots of hackers use code names of the opposite gender... that kind of thing."

Trinity said nothing, her expression serious. Edward flinched as a new song started up even louder than the one before. The overcrowded room forced Edward and Trinity to become a bit too close for comfort.

"So... that was you. You sent me that… that _thing,_ and all those messages, right? How did you do tha—"

"It's called a cell phone, but that's not important. I brought you here because it's safer..."

"Here?" Edward couldn't relate this place to being anywhere near safe or comfortable, even…And what was there to be safe from? Edward resisted snapping at an overly drunk man who came very close to disabling Edward's right foot.

"Please, just listen. Right now, all I can tell you is that you are in trouble. They're watching you, Fullmetal."

An awkward silence hung in the air, overcoming even the loud blasting of the music…

"I know why you are here, Fullmetal. I know what you've been doing. I know why you hardly sleep, and why day after day and night after night you study alchemy. You're looking for it. The Truth. I know, because once, I was looking for the same thing. I was looking for an answer. It is the answer that drives us, Fullmetal… It's the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did…"

Edward barely found his voice. "What is the Truth…?"

Trinity's expression didn't let out anything. Once again, her voice came out softly, but Edward could still hear her as clear as day… "The answer is out there, Edward. It's looking for you… and if you want it to, it will find you…"

_To be continued…_

* * *

/At the party/

Martel: …He ditched us…

No, Hawkeye is not paired up with Ed. D:'


	3. Phone Call

**The Gate 1.03/Phone Call**

Thank you **Misaki-yo** for beta reading!

_To answer some questions_:

To **Priestess kurumi inu's sister**: It's hinted at a few times in the last chapter that Edward lost Alphonse (he "disappeared") when the two tried to transmute their mother. He was 9, and Al was 8. That was 9 years ago. Hmm… now that you brought it up, it was more like hinting and implying… Sorry if it wasn't clear enough! I went back and edited it to make it a bit more obvious. I also put it in this chapter as well. However, as for your other questions: there are some parts that you're not supposed to know yet, so… You'll find out soon enough :D

To **Cerci**: XD Your review had me cracking up! I had also thought about Edward's hair situation, and yes, I already have a solution. (Don't worry, I can't stand him bald either XD) And in the Matrix movie, I believe that they weren't bald because of the position of the plug; it had to do with the liquid the bodies were preserved in.

Everyone else: Thank you for reviewing! (It really encourages me to write:D)

* * *

"Oh shit!"

Edward found himself in his bed.

"What the hell just happened…?"

The events from yesterday—actually, he wasn't even sure if it was "yesterday"— flooded to his head. "That strange package I got… those messages… and that girl." Edward checked the clock. _11:00 AM._ A strangled cry shook Edward's small apartment room. "What—?" There was only an hour until his meeting with the Colonel! Three months ago Edward had received an invitation from Colonel Roy Mustang of the military to meet him privately and to "negotiate." Edward knew that he had really come to Central to test his skills; if he was good enough, he'd be accepted by the military for his alchemical skills and become a state alchemist. It didn't matter to the military just _how_ Edward came into possession of his skills; they would forge as many documents as they had to as long as they kept such a valuable human weapon in their jurisdiction. But if Edward failed to please the military, and Mustang did not approve of his skills… then he'd be off to trial and a quick execution for illegal use of alchemy.

Not wanting to disappoint Colonel Mustang by being late, Edward hurriedly gathered up his cloak and gloves, braided his hair, and slammed the door shut behind him as he left.

When Edward arrived at Central City Headquarters, he had to admit, despite his general dislike of the military, that he was impressed. The building was gigantic, almost formidable; it was one of the largest buildings that he'd ever seen before. Pillars of marble stretched up several stories tall for support. There was a grassy lawn in front that could have easily fit half of Dublith within its area. The place was sophisticated and spacey, a large contrast to the sparsely populated and run down area of Dublith as well as the over-crowded alleys of Central he had been staying at recently. Edward took an extra moment to marvel at the building, which (like the public,) he had always avoided before. The braided teen swallowed nervously as he entered the building and began his search for the Colonel's office.

After half an hour of trying to navigate the labyrinth-like building (and extracting odd stares from other State Alchemists that happened to come across him), Edward was finally able to locate the office. He was fifteen minutes late for the appointment; hoping that Roy Mustang would be a lenient and understanding person, Edward raised a shaky hand andknocked on the door.

No answer.

Panicking, Edward grabbed the doorknob, to find that it wasn't even locked. The door swung open slowly…

"Er… excuse me," Edward called out timorously as he poked his head into the office. Edward was dumbfounded when he saw that the room was empty . Edward slowly walked into the office, unsure of what to do. Did he get the time wrong? Was Mustang on a break? Was this whole thing a joke, or even a trap, from the first place?

The braided teenager inched towards a desk, presumably Mustang's. There wasn't much on the tabletop besides a few piles of papers—unsigned, Edward noticed. As he bent over the table to examine the papers—he couldn't help but be intrigued, even if it wasn't the most polite thing to do—, something in his pocket emitted a ringing noise, causing Edward to jump. Edward hastily reached into his pocket and pulled out the device from the day beforehe remembered shoving it into his pocket before leaving for the Devil's Nest. As Edward held the ringing object in his hands, he stared at it disbelievinglyhe couldn't believe that it actually existed; Everything that had happened was real, and the object just clarified it...Edward was brought back to reality—the ringing noises were becoming louder and irritating and now he was aware that everyone within the building had probably heard it. Seeing as it rang like a phone, Edward held the thing up to his ear on instinct. Feeling like an idiot, he began to speak into what he assumed to be a telephone.

"Er… Hello?"

"Hello Fullmetal." Edward heard a voice coming from the phone. " _So this thing really does work. That's interesting... _Edward made a mental note to take it apart later and study it. "Do you know who this is?" the voice asked.

"…Morpheus?" _First Trinity…then why not just run into all the other famous hackers—_

"Actually, yes." _What? I was just joking…_

"Listen, Fullmetal. They're after you. I've been watching you for some while, but apparently, we've run out of time."

Edward bit his lip, unsure of how he should react. Was _everyone_ was watching him or what?

"Don't believe me? See for yourself. Walk to the window. Now. Slowly…"

Edward didn't like the way Morpheus talked—there was a hint of smugness in his voice that irritated Edward; and there was a sense of authority that that made Edward feel like he was complied to obey. Edward walked to the window anyway and, looking downwards, spotted three figures clad in black heading for the office building. One of them—a woman with long black hair—looked upwards at the Colonel's office room where Edward was standing. Edward found himself recoiling on instinct. He made sure he was out of their view before responding quietly, as if the people outside could hear him speak.

"What the—Oh shit... Who are they? What the hell do they want from me?"

"Fullmetal! Listen to me. You must get out of here right now. Questions will come later. As for now, do exactly as I say and you'll be alright."

Edward gulped, and nodded as if Morpheus could see him. "Alright."

"Hurry. They're coming up from the right. Leave this room and head to the left. Run to the elevator at the end of the hallway and ride it to the top floor."

Too frightened and confused to do anything else, Edward simply followed the orders. He clutched the phone to his ear, awaiting the next set of directions. Just as he left the office room, he heard footsteps walking rapidly through the hallway coming from the right. _How did they get there so fast? _He dashed behind a flower pot that stood conveniently in the hallway. Edward was only halfway to the elevator… He held his breath as the three approached… they did not notice him from behind the flower vase. Edward let out his breath. _I'm glad that I'm short._ Edward paused. _W…What did I just say!_

Edward resisted yelling in frustration just to watch curiously as the three stopped outside the Colonel's office. The woman turned around and spoke softly to the green haired man. Behind the two, an incredibly overweight man was sniffing at the air. Curious, Edward poked his head out slightly to get a better view—the fat man chose that moment to stare straight at where Edward was crouched. Edward swallowed with trepidation, and shrank backwards into the shadows of the flowerpot.

He whispered urgently into his phone. "Who are these people?"

The reply was short, but it sent chills down Edward's back. "The Agents." Edward's eyes widened. The Agents, who Edward had never seen before—and had hoped never to see— were like the National State Alchemists of the military, but they were in a category of their own. There were rumors surrounding the Agents that flowed like streams into a river; hundreds of rumors that sounded completely impossible all have one thing in common— that the Agents had inhuman powers. These rumors were never clarified, however, because those who actually caught a glimpse of them died brutal and mysterious deaths…

Edward felt his hands shaking and a bead of cold sweat slide slowly down his face… What did the Agents want from him?

Lust casually held her arm out in front of her towards the door. There would have been nothing strange with her actions, but Edward almost gasped when her fingers suddenly lengthened and shot forwards at an inhuman length. They sliced open the door like a knife through butter; the remains of the broken door dropped to the floor like scattered leaves…

"Okay, Fullmetal. Now!" The voice from the phone cut sharply into his ear. Seeing that the Agents had their backs turned, Edward numbly sprinted for the elevator room.

Edward's stiff metal fingers pounded on the "UP" button, which was beginning to form a dent. He began to panic.

_Oh shit oh shit…_

"The elevator! It's not coming…" The footsteps have stopped; its owners have concluded there was nothing in the office. They turned, and the footsteps became gradually louder as they approached.

"Forget it. The elevator won't make it in time. Quickly, run to the stairs on the right side of the room. Go. Now!"

Edward practically leapt for the stairs, cursing as the elevator finally arrived right when the three Agents entered the elevator room. Edward took the stairs three at a time, until finally, panting, he reached the elevator room of the very top level. His eyes widened as a bell sounded and the elevator door began to open, slowly...

"Hurry! Into the hallway!"

Edward ran to the other side of the elevator room as the door fully opened. He turned and saw a hallway; it was too long for him to run through without getting spotted. It was lined with doors however. Edward was trying to decide which room to hide in—he didn't want to barge in on a room with someone in it already—when once again the voice on the other side of the phone saved him.

"Enter the second door on the right." Edward leapt for the handle and shut the door quietly. He leaned against it, trying to stifle his heavy panting and was relieved to hear the Agents walk past the door...

"Don't be at ease yet. You still have a bit more to go."

Edward growled, "Now what?"

"You see that window?"

Edward stared incredulously and his mouth dropped open. "Don't tell me…"

"Yes. Climb outside that window."

"But... this is the top floor!"

"Head for the scaffold nearby. Use it to get to the top. From the roof, there will be a way down. Now hurry!"

Edward found himself complying as he held the phone in one hand and began to climb outside the window. He was in a very uncomfortable position… Edward spotted pipes running down the exterior of the building and managed to grab onto one of them for support. He was standing on the windowsill, trying to calm himself, until it gave a huge jolt. Teeth clenching in fear, Edward ceased all movement, wondering if the plank would hold his weight—he had two limbs of solid metal, after all.

Edward attempted to shift some of the weight to his right when the windowsill began to crumble under the weight of his left leg. Cautiously, Edward looked down and instantly regretted it. The reality of what he was doing suddenly hit him. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit! This is insane! I can't do this—"

"There are two ways out of this building. One is that scaffold, the other is in their custody. You take a chance either way. I leave it to you."

He hung up.

Edward cursed. "That…" How could he! Edward's life was in danger and the man just _hangs up on him! "_Shit, now what do I do…?" He fumbled a bit and managed to pocket the phone into his coat. With both hands free, Edward began to climb upwards, hands on the pole for support, with both feet against the wall. The entire window sill crumbled and fell as Edward's foot pushed off of it. Edward watched it fall, and had a sudden image of himself lying on the ground surrounded by a pool of his own blood. He shook his head rapidly to clear himself of the image and only succeeded in receiving a disturbing creaking noise from the pole. _Damn it all… the height, my height, these stupid phone calls…_Edward looked upwards, towards the sky, eyes narrowing against the light. He reached upwards a bit further, ignoring the protesting uneasiness lurking in his stomach, and hesitantly climbed upwards for the scaffold. _But if they lead to the truth…then…I have to—!_

Cautiously, Edward grabbed hold of the scaffold and pulled himself up. Some of Edward's senses that were numbed with fear returned, and he was overwhelmed with an unpleasant feeling as if his stomach was turned inside out. Edward stood onto the platform and swallowed nervously, staring downwards. He decided he had a newfound phobia of height—_how ironic_—to add to his fear of the dark…

_Time for the roof, then. And if that Morpheus guy is waiting there—_Edward could almost imagine what the man looked like and what he would say; Morpheus would have a smug smile plastered on his face, and then his calm voice would be remarking on how funny Edward looked like while climbing the wall—_then I'll make sure he'll be the one climbing up next after I give him a nice little shove, that bombastic…sardonic…arrogant bastard…_

As Edward reached for the roof, the phone in his pocket rang again. Caught off-guard, Edward slipped and the platform swung dangerously. Cursing, Edward resisted the urge to cry out in fear and hastily found a position he could hold on to as he fumbled for the phone. He brought the device up to his ear and prepared to yell at Morpheus for being an ass—but the voice he heard from the phone was almost enough for him to let go of the scaffold out of shock.

_It's not possible… _He hadn't heard this voice in nine years…

"Niisan!"

_It's just not possible… _He was supposed to have been lost, that night during their failed transmutation, nine years ago…

"A—Al!"

_It was equivalent trade…!_

"Niisan, please, just listen! You have to get out of there right now! Otherwise—"

However, Edward never got to find out what would happen "otherwise." A thin and gloved hand abruptly grabbed onto the one Ed was using to hold himself up. Gasping with surprise, Edward completely lost his footing on the scaffold—the phone slipped out of his hands—Dangling in midair, Edward was roughly hauled upwards onto the roof and into the face of his pursuers. A face with long green hair and a wide smirk greeted him and Edward found himself wishing that it was Morpheus's face that he encountered instead.

"Hello, Fullmetal shrimp."

Al's panicked yell carried into the wind as the phone fell.

_To be Continued…_

* * *

To clarify some things: State Alchemists do not have code/second names.


	4. Choices

**The Gate **

Thanks Misaki Yo for beta-ing!

Thanks for the reviews! I'll try to update faster next time XD;

**1.04Choices**

* * *

Edward waited impatiently, propping his head against one arm. His metal fingers played an imaginary tune on the plain white tabletop. Wary eyes examined the room. It was like an empty box; there was absolutely nothing adorning the walls of the room except for thick white paint, and the only furniture was a table and two chairs, one of which Edward was occupying at the moment.

Edward didn't have to wait long. A door opened—Edward didn't notice a door there before; how odd— and two of the three Agents that Edward had seen earlier entered the room. He studied the two carefully, since he never saw anyone else like them before. The first Agent was the woman with the knife-like fingers. Closely behind her was the Agent that had hauled Edward up from the scaffold. Long green hair covered the man's scalp, and they shot out in different directions like the leaves of a palm tree. His clothing left a lot of pale white skin showing, but the first thing Edward noticed about him was the sadistic grin he seemed to have on his face…

"What do you want with me?" Edward asked cautiously. He didn't do anything to anger these people. Nothing that he was aware of, at least.

"Well, Mr. Elric." The woman sat down at the table. "Do you know who I am?"

Edward remained silent, but stared fiercely at her, determined not to betray his emotions...

The woman smiled, but there was no trace of it being a genuine smile. "You may call me Lust. This is Envy." Lust gestured towards the other Agent.

"Now that we're done with introductions," Lust said, and any hint of amiability—faked or not—instantly disappeared from her face. She shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other. "We have been watching you for some time, Edward Elric."

Edward shivered as she spoke his name. _What's up with this woman…?_ "Hurry up and get to the point," Edward growled. He found his protective mask starting to fade away and fought in vain to conceal his discomfort…

"Ah, eager, are we? Well, let's just put it this way then… we know what you're doing, Mr. Elric. We know a lot more about you than you know. For instance… that transmutation you did nine years ago…"

Edward's eyes widened against his will before they narrowed suspiciously. How could she have found out?

"So what are you going to do to me?" If he was going to go on trial, if he was going to die, then… what would happen to Alphonse? He'd never be able to confirm hearing Al's voice… Edward instinctively leaned backwards, away from Lust, preparing to transmute his automail arm for a fight. If he had to go down, he'd go down fighting… What could she do to him anyway? She would do—

"Nothing."

Edward's frightened expression turned to an incredulous one. "…Nothing?"

"In fact, we are willing to wipe the slate clean, give you a fresh start… We can give you all you have been searching for… If you want it, you can become a State Alchemist, and you can wander everywhere, anywhere you want… You can have full access to all the books you ever wanted about alchemy—and you can find a way to make your dream come true." Lust smiled, resting her chin on one her hands. Her fingers twitched and Edward found himself shifting backwards uncomfortably, remembering what those fingers had done to the Colonel's door…

"Don't you want to see your little brother again? …What you are looking for and have been researching for the past year... We can help you find it. Would you rather have all of that," Lust gestured vaguely at the air with her gloved hand, "or do you want to return to your old life? A life of hiding and living in rags… Oh, yes—and you know perfectly well that we can easily… _stop _you from selling your alchemy. It's up to you. One of these lives has a future… the other one doesn't. Now… which one do you want?"

Edward almost couldn't believe it. This offer… it was too good to be true. He couldn't trust them.

"What's the catch?" he asked suspiciously, unwilling to let any of his emotions show. Lust simply smiled. "Two things. You will help us. You will find the true Philosopher's Stone and then perhaps you could... _share_ it with us."

"The Philosopher's Stone is a mere _myth,_ a _legend._ It's nonexistent. I can't find something that doesn't exist; are you crazy? Chasing after a legend?"

"So are you saying that you have researched for nine whole years a mere _legend_?" Lust laughed. "Don't try to fool me. I know you want it. You wanted to revive your brother using its power. I know you can find it… and if you can't find it…" Lust leaned closer, and suddenly the table and the room felt very small, "…then you will _make _it."

Edward said nothing but averted his gaze to the left side of the room. Envy, who had been prowling silently in the background, took Edward's silence as an opportunity to speak up. "Yes, fascinating wall, isn't it? Anyway, Fullmetal shrimp, as for the second thing we will ask you to do… We know that you have been recently… _contacted_ by a certain individual by the name of… _Morpheus._" Envy's look turned murderous as his eyes gleamed mischievously. His hand clenched into a fist and unclenched again, giving Edward the feeling that Envy was probably planning the best way to strangle the man.

Lust continued, seeing that they had Edward's attention, "Don't be fooled by him. Whatever you know, or think you know, about that man is irrelevant. He is considered by many authorities to be the most dangerous man alive. We want your cooperation in turning him over to the government. It is for your own safety and the safety of the public to bring in a known terrorist to justice."

"How about…''Thanks, but screw you'?" Edward glowered. "It's a nice plan, but unfortunately, I don't feel like working for you… people. I have my own goals to accomplish, and I want my phone call."

Lust simply sighed and stood up. "You disappoint us, Edward Elric…"

Edward stood up as well, knocking over his chair in the process. It clattered angrily to the floor. "You can't scare me with that shit… I have my rights. And I want my phone call."

"And tell me, Mr. Elric… What good is a phone call… if you are unable to speak?"

Suddenly, Edward felt his jaws tighten. _What the hell!_ Edward tried opening his mouth to scream—to call for help—anyone, anything—

Then a sickening sensation followed, and Edward felt as if his face had turned into rubber. He tried opening his mouth to no avail—it had been sealed shut. Panicking, Edward bolted for the door but was stopped by Envy, whose eyes narrowed in delight at Edward's fear—

Edward started to clap his hands to transmute his automail arm into a blade, but Envy was too fast. With one hand on each of Edward's wrists, Envy wrenched both arms backwards and roughly pinned Edward to the table.

"You don't understand, Fullmetal shrimp," Envy sneered into Edward's face. "You don't have a choice whether you want to help us or not." Envy held down Edward's arms with his hand, carefully making sure that the blond would have no opportunity to create a transmutation. Edward furiously tried to claw his way out—when he realized that his metal arm was useless; it had stopped moving and hung limply from his side.

The door opened once more, and a young woman in a maid's attire calmly walked in.

"Lyra," Lust commanded. "Do it."

"Yes." Lyra walked calmly to the table where Edward was pinned to. Unable to speak, Edward could only watch with dread as Lyra simply clapped her hands together. _Like me, that girl doesn't need an array…!_ The floor beneath the table shimmered although the woman did not even bend down to touch the floor, and with a flash of red light an array appeared.

Pinning Edward down with one hand, Envy proceeded to rip open Edward's clothing to reveal his stomach. "Ready, Lyra," Envy almost sang. He grinned wickedly and muttered something that Edward only caught a fraction of… "—seeing _this_ happen to _his_ son—"

Lyra stepped stoically to where Edward was, and pulled out a small, long wire from a pocket of her uniform. With her bare fingertip she traced an invisible array onto Edward's stomach. Edward twitched as her fingers touched him; her hand was unusually cold. Horrified, Edward watched on, as the wire was dropped onto his exposed skin. Regaining his senses, Edward began to thrash around—if he could just get his hands together, even if his right arm was useless, then he could transmute something, anything—his left leg, made of metal, came into contact with Envy's side with a brutal kick. It was too late, however—the array under the table abruptly lit up, bathing the room in red, and the invisible array on Edward's skin turned blue, then black. The metal wire started to move as if it had gained life. It squirmed against his skin and, without warning, it sprouted legs; it now resembled something like a living organism, an insect of metal. The metal _thing_ twisted and thrashed about in a circle, as if looking for something—and without warning dived into Edward's navel and disappeared.

For a moment Edward felt like throwing up, but at that moment everything became a blur and he couldn't hear anything anymore but the blood pounding in his ears and the screeching of metal as if it were someone screaming and there was something creaking and—

Edward woke up, screaming, and quite relieved to hear his voice and to know that he had a mouth. Panting, he brushed the bangs from his face back, pulling back strands of hair that clung to his skin due to his cold sweat, and swallowed in gulps of air. His heart was still racing at an amazing speed when he realized that he was in his apartment, safe in his bed. Edward clutched at his stomach, looking under his shirt to make sure it was fine and that there wasn't anything crawling over him.

Silence. It was quiet, like it usually was.

Edward felt himself start to calm down. Gradually, the noises in his head decreased until the only sound he heard was his own panting and the ticking of his clock.

Swallowing once again, Edward to lay back down on his bed to think. Was everything that happened all just a dream? The strange messages… meeting Trinity… the chase at Central Headquarters… the inquisition and that _thing…_ Edward resisted the urge to vomit at the recollection of that dream—or event.

The phone unexpectedly rang. With an eager anxiety, Edward tentatively picked up the cell phone on its last ring. He was greeted with Morpheus's voice.

"Hello, Fullmetal. The line is tapped, so I must be brief. Apparently they've got to you before we did, Fullmetal. Luckily, They've underestimated your importance. If they knew what I knew, then you would probably be dead by now, or worse…"

"What are you talking about? What's happening to me? Can you please for once _explain_ to me just what the hell is going on?" All the things that have happened to far—or not happened; Edward couldn't be sure—was driving Edward insane. He just couldn't believe some of the things that happened were real, and at this point he wasn't even sure if he was still dreaming or not. It was…

…frustrating. Morpheus's placid voice wasn't helping much, either.

"Do you still want to know? I do _not_ want to give up on you. You may have spent the past nine years searching for an answer, but I've been searching for you my _entire_ life…"

Edward narrowed his eyes. He didn't want to be involved in this strange mess… but if it meant finding answers… All of a sudden, Edward remembered. If all of what had happened was real, then that means he really spoke to Alphonse, even if it was only for a brief moment…

The mere thought of meeting Al again gave Edward a new strength. It became his answer. "I won't give up." _No matter how much crap I have to go through, it will all be worth it if I get to see Al again…_

"Good. Then go to Central City train station. I will be waiting for you..."

Too bad Edward didn't know just what he got himself into.

Edward sat by himself on a bench, waiting for someone he didn't know. He listened to the rain pouring, and felt the rain splatter against his cheek. His thin red cloak offered little comfort against the rain and soon Edward found himself soaked and shivering.

Glancing upwards, Edward found the lack of people in the usually busy station quite unnerving.

A car drove along the street and pulled over to where Edward was sitting. Edward stood up. It was Trinity.

"Get in."

Edward complied and got into the car. Edward took of his outer jacket and was about to transmute it dry when he noticed that there was a man sitting next to him in the passenger's seat—the man looked strangely familiar—when without warning a woman sitting next to Trinity turned around and promptly aimed her handgun directly at Edward's head.

Edward stared forward into the gun for a few moments before sorting out his words. "What the hell is this? Wh—Hey! It's _you_… you and _that_ guy with the sledgehammer—" Edward jabbed his finger towards the man sitting next to him, who raised a hand in greeting— "and…some other person…" Dolchett visibly winced. "…But why are you doing this?" Edward was bewildered.

Martel smiled at him, and waved with her free hand. "Yo, It's been a while since we last met." She then became serious again, shoving the gun forward into Edward's face.

"It's necessary, Fullmetal. For our protection," Trinity explained calmly. "And yours."

"From what?" Edward asked, glowering at the barrel of the gun.

"From you," Trinity answered simply as she got into the car and started driving.

They drove for a minute or two with awkward silence before Edward asked, "Just when are you going to take that thing off me?"

"Stop the car, Riza," Martel's voice cut in sharply.

Trinity braked so quickly that Edward almost rammed his head into the seat in front of him, if he hadn't hit the gun first.

"Alright, Ed. Take off your shirt." Martel demanded.

Edward stopped rubbing his forehead to stare at her.

"Listen, we don't have time for this. There's only one rule right now: Our way, or the highway." She shifted her hold on the gun as if to make a point.

"Fine." Edward started to get out of the car.

"Wait." The teenager stopped and looked warily back at Trinity. "You have to trust me, Fullmetal. You have to trust _us._"

"Why should I? There's been a whole mess of things going on within these past few days and I don't know _what_ to think anymore. That and…" Edward trailed off. _Alphonse_, he thought. _Think of Alphonse…_

"You must believe us, Fullmetal. Because you've been down there. You know that road. You know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be…"

Edward stopped. Trinity's words brought back to him memories of those long hours of frustration, when the answer was there and he was about to grasp it— but the answers were always turned away. He recalled pooling endlessly over notes, over books, traveling to all sorts of places and talking to all sorts of people to find _something… _His gaze lowered until he was staring at the floor as if the memories were like a weight that had physically pulled him down with each thought. He found himself watching the falling drops of rainwater disappear the puddles…

"Morpheus _needs_ you," Trinity pleaded, and Edward had the feeling that the woman was not one to "plead" on a normal basis. "You have to talk to him."

Edward said nothing, but slowly got back into the car. Trinity let out her breath and gave Edward the slightest hint of a smile. "Roa," she called. "The lights, please."

She turned to Edward. "Lie back… lift up your shirt, and try to relax."

"Yeah, 'relax', all right…" Edward rolled his eyes, thinking about the last time he had his shirt ripped open. Edward's gaze lingered warily on the device that Trinity now held in her hands. A small empty tube protruded from the tip of the machine. "What _is_ that thing?" Memories of the metal creature squirming into his navel were _not_ the most aesthetically pleasing and the best experience to go through again.

"We think you're bugged," Martel said simply, her gun all the while trained on Edward's forehead.

"Now, relax."

Edward held his breath as Trinity activated the device and pressed it against Edward's stomach.

Edward gasped when something inside his stomach began to squirm around. Pain! By the Gate, he had enough of it already… Trinity was gripping the device tightly as she tried to capture the machine moving around inside of him. Edward felt Roa's hands holding him down—he felt his arms thrashing violently and his metal arm was going berserk—there was Dolchet pinning him down too (he knew because he heard Dolchet yell out in pain when Edward's metal arm made contact with his face). Edward distantly heard Martel whisper, "It's on the move—you're going to lose it—" and Trinity's voice, sharp and commanding,"No, I'm not— Clear!"

Edward inhaled sharply as the bug-like machine was sucked up into the empty tube. The pain had left, leaving him numb (and leaving Dolchet with a swollen face.) Trinity unlatched the tube from the device and then held it up for Edward to see. The machine twitched for several moments before finally breaking down.

"By... By the Gate! That thing was... real?" Edward was wishing that it was a dream… He keeled over as he clutched at his stomach, muttering to himself, completely mortified. "_That thing…real… inside…" _

"You can't stay in denial forever, Ed," Martel called out cheerfully. Edward could do nothing but groan at her, but at least he noticed that the gun was now safely back in Martel's pocket.

Trinity got back into the car and prepared to drive. She smiled with disgusted triumph at the captured machine before flinging it out into the street, where it shattered on impact with the wet cement.

_To be Continued…_


End file.
